Department for Transport

Railways: Overcrowding

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 22 January (HL4453), what evidence there is that train franchisees plan for known special events and match capacity with anticipated demand.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport requires franchisees to plan for special events and make the best use of the capacity available to provide services where they would not ordinarily be provided in the regular timetable. This includes detailed planning with event organisers, local authorities and emergency services. Train operators regularly provide additional capacity and enhanced station management processes to manage large crowds, for example Great Western Railway’s management of demand for racing events at Cheltenham or the Glastonbury festival.

Railways: Fares

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are developing plans to avoid increases in regulated train fares.

baroness sugg: This Government expects that rail costs to be sustainable and value for money. We are expecting industry to develop credible plans to tackle inflationary cost pressures, and deliver the efficiencies needed so that any fare increases are sustainable and in-line with the cost of living. Fares revenue is crucial to funding day-to-day railway operations and the extensive upgrade programme the industry is delivering, all of which benefit passengers.

Railways: West Yorkshire

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of train connectivity and train services in West Yorkshire, in comparison with other parts of England.

baroness sugg: As part of its long-term strategy , the Department for Transport has contracted longer trains and more frequent services, allowing rail commuters into Leeds to benefit from a 52% increase in the number of seats in the morning peak on TransPennine Express (TPE) trains, and a 37% increase on Northern trains. To more widely improve connectivity in West Yorkshire we have contracted various service benefits to be delivered by December 2019 for Leeds, Bradford and the surrounding area, which include: Leeds:3 extra TPE services per day to Hull, with some longer trainsBrand new electric trains to Skipton and Ilkley to provide extra capacity, with more carriages on the busiest servicesLocal Northern services to Doncaster will operate using more modern trains and will increase to an hourly service on SundaysQuicker journeys to Sheffield and Nottingham as part of high-quality Northern Connect network – to Nottingham in 1h 40minsIncreased frequency to provide 4tph to Harrogate between 0700 and 1900 in combination with Virgin East Coast, plus enhanced evening and Sunday services. The additional Northern services to Harrogate will be up to 20% fasterIncrease to 7 trains per day to Lancaster via Skipton - with times better suited to commuters.One extra train departing for Settle and Carlisle between 1600 and 1900, and two extra services on SundaysStopping service to Sheffield via Moorthorpe will double in frequency to hourly on SundaysLater evening service to Cattal, Hammerton, Poppleton and YorkNew station at Kirkstall Forge with 1tph to LeedsNew station at Apperley Bridge with 2tph to Leeds  Bradford:A new direct link to Wakefield, Sheffield, Chesterfield and Nottingham as part of the Northern Connect network, with at least 10 services per day in each direction operated by brand new trainsOne extra train per hour to Manchester, with a significantly enhanced evening and Sunday serviceNew direct links to Liverpool and Manchester Airport, with an hourly service to each using brand new trains as part of the Northern Connect networkIncreased frequency on Sundays to Skipton and Ilkley, with hourly trainsA new station at Low Moor to receive 1tph to Bradford. Other locations will also benefit, including:Halifax – an additional service every hour to Manchester, Bradford and LeedsHuddersfield - Northern stopping services to Leeds via Dewsbury replaced by an additional 1tph between Manchester and Leeds on TPE, improving punctuality by using better accelerating trainsKnottingley and Pontefract Monkhill - Doubled frequency of trains to Leeds with 2tph; Sunday services increase to 1tphPontefract Tanshelf, Featherstone, Streethouse - existing services to Wakefield extended through to Leeds, and they will also run in alternate hours on SundaysSlaithwaite, Marsden, Greenfield and Mossley will enjoy a direct hourly TPE service to Leeds.Cross Gates, Garforth, East Garforth and Micklefield will receive 2tph to Leeds on Sundays. The Department does not compare train services from area to area as assessments are conducted on the needs of the individual areas they serve.

Department for International Trade

Bombardier: USA

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Bombardier aircraft are not subject to arbitrary tariffs being imposed on them by the government of the United States.

baroness fairhead: HMG Ministers and Officials have actively engaged with the US Administration, Canadian Government, Boeing and Bombardier to facilitate a resolution to this dispute. The UK Government welcomes the decision by the US International Trade Commission that there is no actual or threatened material injury caused to Boeing by imports of Bombardier’s C-Series aircraft.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Industrial Products

the earl of kinnoull: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to convene a meeting with representatives from the industrial product supply sector to address concerns relating to uncertainty over the proposed transition period after the UK leaves the EU, in particular (1) how long that transition period will last, and (2) the parameters of rights and regulations that will apply during that period.

lord henley: In the last year Ministers and officials have met over 2000 stakeholder organisations, including over 600 businesses at a series of stakeholder events. After the last General Election, we set up a business advisory group with an EU Exit focus that’s attended by senior Government ministers, to give higher priority to companies’ concerns in the EU exit negotiations. We want to agree the terms of a time-limited implementation period as soon as possible - giving businesses across the UK certainty.

Certification Quality Marks

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the effect of Brexit on agencies that provide CE-Certification.

lord henley: A ‘CE mark’ is a numerical code which indicates that a product conforms to the requirements set out in the relevant EU legislation. In some cases the product will also have been tested by a notified body before the manufacturer labels the product with a CE mark. The Government recognises the valuable role that third party testing plays in giving business, consumers and the public, confidence in products on the market. We have been engaging with manufacturers and testing bodies across the country to understand their concerns. The UK wants to ensure that any approvals, registrations, certificates and authorisations issued by a third party (whether a private entity or a public agency) prior to exit should continue to be recognised as valid by both markets after the UK’s withdrawal.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Recycling

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in relation to Annex 1 of the Communication from the European Commission, A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, published on 16 January, to what extent they plan to participate in (1) the list of future EU measures to implement the Strategy, (2) the list of measures recommended to national authorities and industry, and (3) the Pledging Campaign.

lord gardiner of kimble: On 16 January the EU set out its plastics strategy. While EU action to reduce plastic waste is welcome, the UK is going further and faster. The UK has already implemented the world’s toughest ban on plastic microbeads in personal care products, and is the first European country to do so. We are also examining what further action can be taken on microplastics. The EU says “all plastic packaging on the EU market will be recyclable by 2030” - we want to achieve this 5 years earlier. In England in 2016 WRAP set out a vision for all packaging to be recyclable (where practical and environmentally beneficial) by 2025. The EU wants to “drive investment and innovation”. Since 2010 we have provided over £50 million of funding for plastics innovation. Our 25 Year Environment Plan set out how we will go further by working with the Research Councils and industry to bring forward a bid for the next round of Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund awards to help develop a pipeline of new, more sustainable materials that will have a lower environmental impact. We will further set out our plans to tackle plastic waste in our Resources and Waste Strategy later this year.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Statutory Instruments

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many statutory instruments are being prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) but have not yet been laid before either House of Parliament; and of those, how many DEFRA started to prepare (1) within the last six months, (2) within the last seven to 12 months, (3) within the last 13 to 24 months, and (4) over 24 months ago.

lord gardiner of kimble: In the next 14 months we currently expect to lay around 95 SIs, which will be required to convert over 850 individual pieces of EU related legislation into domestic law by 29 March 2019. We will also continue our programme of business as usual SIs, of which around 75-80 are laid in any one year. Ministers keep the policy priorities to be taken forward under constant review, and this will be particularly important as we manage the legislation introduced before Parliament in the period before we leave the EU. We do not hold information on the date on which individual policies are initiated and which may subsequently result in regulatory proposals.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Statutory Instruments

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many consultations have been held by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in each of the last ten years on proposals for statutory instruments that have not yet been laid before either House of Parliament; and of those consultations, how many were held (1) within the last six months, (2) within the last seven to 12 months, (3) within the last 13 to 24 months, and (4) over 24 months ago.

lord gardiner of kimble: In the past two years Defra has undertaken 27 formal consultations related to proposals for secondary legislation. A breakdown of those which have led to an SI being laid is provided below. Not all consultations will necessarily result in legislation as alternative policies are sometimes pursued. Where consultations held more than 12 months ago did not result in an SI this was in response to stakeholder responses to the consultation. In more recent cases there has not yet been enough time to lay legislation resulting from these consultations. PeriodConsultedLaid0-6 months1327-12 months2113-24 months1211

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' budget, if any, originated fromthe Department for International Development.

lord gardiner of kimble: During the current spending review period, £5.159m of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs budget has been transferred from the Department for International Development. This budget relates to the current financial year and is part of the Conflict, Stability & Security Fund (CSSF).

Health Services: Developing Countries

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' budget is spent on (1) family planning, (2) sexual and reproductive health and rights, and (3) population issues, in the developing world.

lord gardiner of kimble: Responsibility for spending on family planning, sexual and reproductive health and rights and population issues in the developing world is outside of Defra’s remit. Defra has no projects that cover these topics and it is highly unlikely that any proportion of the budget is spent on them. Checking every transaction in a financial year would provide a definitive response but this could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Recycling

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the differences between the target for recycling 65per cent of urban waste by 2035 agreed by the European Council and Parliament in December 2017 and their 25 year environmental plan that justified their opposing the EU target;and what assessment they have made of the extent to whichsuch opposition will enhance the credibility of their 25 year plan.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government has yet to receive the formal text of the outcome of the trilogue discussions and we will consider it carefully. There are several targets in the circular economy package of which the 65% recycling by weight target by 2035 is just one. The Government has committed to publishing a new Resources and Waste Strategy in 2018 aimed at making the UK a world leader in resource efficiency. It will ensure resources are kept in use for longer and set out how we will work towards eliminating all avoidable waste by 2050, and all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. This is consistent with the EU’s Circular Economy Package and in some respects goes beyond it. As we develop the Resources and Waste Strategy we will explore whether more innovative targets can be developed that deliver clear benefits over those proposed by the EU, including weight-based measures. Should they be preferable, the UK Government will present proposals to the UK Parliament following the UK’s departure from the EU.

Water: Theft

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the problem of water theft in the UK’s water industry.

lord gardiner of kimble: Based on information provided by water companies, the Environment Agency assesses that around 3% of water put into public supply is used and not paid for. This includes water taken legally and water that is stolen. Water taken legally includes public supplies for which no charge is made, such as firefighting and training. The ratio of the 3% taken legally to illegally is unknown. Companies can take action through the courts against water thieves. For example, in September 2017, Thames Water took Kilgannon Street Care to court, who admitted 12 offences under the Water Industry Act 1991 and was ordered to pay more than £5,000 in fines and costs.